Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re not alone, OP, judging from the huge number of Maryland plates I see driving around my part of Nova - weekdays and weekends.

So funny - we recently ran into a coworker of DH’s in McLean, and he says he runs errands there every weekend instead of in DC where he lives bc it’s convenient and parking is so much easier.

But also this thread is kind of reminding me of the fraternity guys in college who would drive three states over for cheaper liquor

Look…if you live in Georgetown, then VA will be more convenient because you drive right over the key bridge and get there. Georgetown isn’t well served by everyday retail/grocery (though has a million restaurants and of course tons of boutique shopping).

Nobody is claiming you don’t use common sense…we always combined a big box store trip with a kid’s sporting event in VA. Once those were done, we no longer had a need to travel to VA when there were much closer options in MD.

I doubt Gtown residents shop for groceries in Tysons They go up Wisconsin, or to Foggy Bottom where there is a huge Whole Foods and a TJ mere blocks away from each other. Even if you are by the Key Bridge it takes less time to use these nearby options than to drive on hwys to get to Tysons. Gtown also has tons of the same chain stores as Tysons malls. I much prefer shopping in Gtown as it's so much nicer to walk around the streets than to be inside an indoor mall.

The Foggy Bottom Whole Foods and Georgetown retail are light years ahead of the Old Georgetown Giant and Montgomery County Mall. No one talking down on either of these.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is going in circles but I would say I don’t like MoCo liquor laws but they aren’t that big a deal— for a party I’ll shop at total wine but otherwise I’ll stop by our small shop.

For a movie, AMC Regal in Silver Spring is nice with convenient parking.

I don’t I’ve been to Tysons in 20 years and I have zero desire to get on the beltway on a weekend to shop.

If you think the Regal (AMC is a different chain) in Silver Spring is nice I don’t know what to tell you except that you probably should get out more. That is one of the worst theaters I’ve ever been to in my life. Dirty, depressing, and police robots have been proposed for the nearby parking lots because of crime.

Bragging about not being to a neighboring state for 20 years and being stuck in a bubble is not a good thing either. I live in VA and go to Silver Spring and Bethesda at least a dozen times a year. It’s healthy to get outside your bubble.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is going in circles but I would say I don’t like MoCo liquor laws but they aren’t that big a deal— for a party I’ll shop at total wine but otherwise I’ll stop by our small shop.

For a movie, AMC Regal in Silver Spring is nice with convenient parking.

I don’t I’ve been to Tysons in 20 years and I have zero desire to get on the beltway on a weekend to shop.

If you think the Regal (AMC is a different chain) in Silver Spring is nice I don’t know what to tell you except that you probably should get out more. That is one of the worst theaters I’ve ever been to in my life. Dirty, depressing, and police robots have been proposed for the nearby parking lots because of crime.

Bragging about not being to a neighboring state for 20 years and being stuck in a bubble is not a good thing either. I live in VA and go to Silver Spring and Bethesda at least a dozen times a year. It’s healthy to get outside your bubble.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re not alone, OP, judging from the huge number of Maryland plates I see driving around my part of Nova - weekdays and weekends.

So funny - we recently ran into a coworker of DH’s in McLean, and he says he runs errands there every weekend instead of in DC where he lives bc it’s convenient and parking is so much easier.

But also this thread is kind of reminding me of the fraternity guys in college who would drive three states over for cheaper liquor

Look…if you live in Georgetown, then VA will be more convenient because you drive right over the key bridge and get there. Georgetown isn’t well served by everyday retail/grocery (though has a million restaurants and of course tons of boutique shopping).

Nobody is claiming you don’t use common sense…we always combined a big box store trip with a kid’s sporting event in VA. Once those were done, we no longer had a need to travel to VA when there were much closer options in MD.

I doubt Gtown residents shop for groceries in Tysons They go up Wisconsin, or to Foggy Bottom where there is a huge Whole Foods and a TJ mere blocks away from each other. Even if you are by the Key Bridge it takes less time to use these nearby options than to drive on hwys to get to Tysons. Gtown also has tons of the same chain stores as Tysons malls. I much prefer shopping in Gtown as it's so much nicer to walk around the streets than to be inside an indoor mall.

Anonymous wrote:This thread is going in circles but I would say I don’t like MoCo liquor laws but they aren’t that big a deal— for a party I’ll shop at total wine but otherwise I’ll stop by our small shop.

For a movie, AMC Regal in Silver Spring is nice with convenient parking.

I don’t I’ve been to Tysons in 20 years and I have zero desire to get on the beltway on a weekend to shop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re not alone, OP, judging from the huge number of Maryland plates I see driving around my part of Nova - weekdays and weekends.

So funny - we recently ran into a coworker of DH’s in McLean, and he says he runs errands there every weekend instead of in DC where he lives bc it’s convenient and parking is so much easier.

But also this thread is kind of reminding me of the fraternity guys in college who would drive three states over for cheaper liquor

Look…if you live in Georgetown, then VA will be more convenient because you drive right over the key bridge and get there. Georgetown isn’t well served by everyday retail/grocery (though has a million restaurants and of course tons of boutique shopping).

Nobody is claiming you don’t use common sense…we always combined a big box store trip with a kid’s sporting event in VA. Once those were done, we no longer had a need to travel to VA when there were much closer options in MD.

I doubt Gtown residents shop for groceries in Tysons They go up Wisconsin, or to Foggy Bottom where there is a huge Whole Foods and a TJ mere blocks away from each other. Even if you are by the Key Bridge it takes less time to use these nearby options than to drive on hwys to get to Tysons. Gtown also has tons of the same chain stores as Tysons malls. I much prefer shopping in Gtown as it's so much nicer to walk around the streets than to be inside an indoor mall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re not alone, OP, judging from the huge number of Maryland plates I see driving around my part of Nova - weekdays and weekends.

So funny - we recently ran into a coworker of DH’s in McLean, and he says he runs errands there every weekend instead of in DC where he lives bc it’s convenient and parking is so much easier.

But also this thread is kind of reminding me of the fraternity guys in college who would drive three states over for cheaper liquor

Look…if you live in Georgetown, then VA will be more convenient because you drive right over the key bridge and get there. Georgetown isn’t well served by everyday retail/grocery (though has a million restaurants and of course tons of boutique shopping).

Nobody is claiming you don’t use common sense…we always combined a big box store trip with a kid’s sporting event in VA. Once those were done, we no longer had a need to travel to VA when there were much closer options in MD.

I doubt Gtown residents shop for groceries in Tysons They go up Wisconsin, or to Foggy Bottom where there is a huge Whole Foods and a TJ mere blocks away from each other. Even if you are by the Key Bridge it takes less time to use these nearby options than to drive on hwys to get to Tysons. Gtown also has tons of the same chain stores as Tysons malls. I much prefer shopping in Gtown as it's so much nicer to walk around the streets than to be inside an indoor mall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re not alone, OP, judging from the huge number of Maryland plates I see driving around my part of Nova - weekdays and weekends.

So funny - we recently ran into a coworker of DH’s in McLean, and he says he runs errands there every weekend instead of in DC where he lives bc it’s convenient and parking is so much easier.

But also this thread is kind of reminding me of the fraternity guys in college who would drive three states over for cheaper liquor

Look…if you live in Georgetown, then VA will be more convenient because you drive right over the key bridge and get there. Georgetown isn’t well served by everyday retail/grocery (though has a million restaurants and of course tons of boutique shopping).

Nobody is claiming you don’t use common sense…we always combined a big box store trip with a kid’s sporting event in VA. Once those were done, we no longer had a need to travel to VA when there were much closer options in MD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that do not happen when shopping at the McLean Total Wine, but happen near the Friendship Heights Total Wine.

https://mocoshow.com/2026/03/24/woman-who-left-shoe-behind-during-carjacking-attempt-found-guilty/#more-124623

A Montgomery County jury found 21-year-old Roniyah Thomas of District Heights guilty on all counts, including attempted armed carjacking, first-degree assault, armed robbery, and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

The charges stem from a February 4, 2025 incident in Chevy Chase, where Thomas approached a man exiting his vehicle, pointed a gun, and demanded his car keys. The victim resisted, pushing the weapon away, at which point Thomas fired, striking him in the leg before fleeing. Investigators later used surveillance footage from the Friendship Heights Metro Station, where a suspect was seen entering without a shoe and removing the other, to identify Thomas and link her to the attempted carjacking.

I see stories about carjackings in Friendship Heights, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase on at least a monthly basis. No one has ever worried about being carjacked at the McLean Total Wine since it was built. I could walk around with a Moncler jacket, LV purse, waving around $1,000 in hundred dollar bills at 10 at night and nothing would happen. A few minutes more of a drive is worth my piece of mind.

I guess you must go looking for anything you can find to justify your bizarre Tyson’s trips. The fact is that Tyson’s is a hotbed of crime ever since the metro station was built there. This includes an incident where there was a shooting inside the mall that sent people fleeing and caused mass chaos. I’d take my safety in friendship heights any day over the cesspool that Tyson’s has become.

Mclean Total wine is not in Tysons, it's quite far from any metro station.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that do not happen when shopping at the McLean Total Wine, but happen near the Friendship Heights Total Wine.

https://mocoshow.com/2026/03/24/woman-who-left-shoe-behind-during-carjacking-attempt-found-guilty/#more-124623

A Montgomery County jury found 21-year-old Roniyah Thomas of District Heights guilty on all counts, including attempted armed carjacking, first-degree assault, armed robbery, and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

The charges stem from a February 4, 2025 incident in Chevy Chase, where Thomas approached a man exiting his vehicle, pointed a gun, and demanded his car keys. The victim resisted, pushing the weapon away, at which point Thomas fired, striking him in the leg before fleeing. Investigators later used surveillance footage from the Friendship Heights Metro Station, where a suspect was seen entering without a shoe and removing the other, to identify Thomas and link her to the attempted carjacking.

I see stories about carjackings in Friendship Heights, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase on at least a monthly basis. No one has ever worried about being carjacked at the McLean Total Wine since it was built. I could walk around with a Moncler jacket, LV purse, waving around $1,000 in hundred dollar bills at 10 at night and nothing would happen. A few minutes more of a drive is worth my piece of mind.

I guess you must go looking for anything you can find to justify your bizarre Tyson’s trips. The fact is that Tyson’s is a hotbed of crime ever since the metro station was built there. This includes an incident where there was a shooting inside the mall that sent people fleeing and caused mass chaos. I’d take my safety in friendship heights any day over the cesspool that Tyson’s has become.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MD resident. I can walk to Total Wine in Friendship Heights. There’s a Wegman’s not far from me in DC and another one at Twinbrook. I haven’t been to Virginia to shop in years. Whatever works.

This is now the second post that defends MD shopping by referencing stores in DC. The same ones actually.

Pike and Rose IPC is going out of business. The only two theatres within 5-10 miles of Bethesda are the Landmark in Bethesda and the Montgomery Mall AMC. Why deal with the parking issues in Bethesda or the sad depressing state of the AMC in Mont Mall when I can take DD to the Boro, AMC Tysons or the Tysons Galleria CMX, all of which are much nicer than anything in Bethesda? Those are 15-20 minutes from me because of my proximity to River Road exit. The Mosaic theater is 5 minutes further and it has great restaurants and a Neiman and Bloomingdale’s outlet and a Target that’s nicer than anything in MD in the same complex.

The only grocery store besides Whole Foods that’s worth going to in all of MoCo is the Westbard Giant. Everyplace else looks like it would have been torn down in McLean or North Arlington 10 years ago.

Stick your head in the sand all you want and brag about never going to Tysons. A lack of perspective and curiosity isn’t something to brag about.

You get your perspective and curiosity by visiting shopping malls and grocery stores? Charming.

As PPs have noted it’s a lot more than that. The public infrastructure is far better, whether we’re talking about lack of potholes on roads and highways in good repair, public transit, reliability of the power grid, streetlights. We could go on. The only thing Maryland has going for it is that a small portion of MoCo has historic homes and nice parks. But all of MoCo’s advantages were secured 50+ years ago. Currently - whether it’s school development, public infrastructure, or private economic development - MD is woefully underperforming VA.

If VA is doing so well, why is the state pushing for a casino in Tysons for tax revenue? In Arlington, there is a budget shortfall and talk of diminished services, like a library closure.

Let's not pretend that everything in Virginia is so rosy, when in reality, it's far from it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that do not happen when shopping at the McLean Total Wine, but happen near the Friendship Heights Total Wine.

https://mocoshow.com/2026/03/24/woman-who-left-shoe-behind-during-carjacking-attempt-found-guilty/#more-124623

A Montgomery County jury found 21-year-old Roniyah Thomas of District Heights guilty on all counts, including attempted armed carjacking, first-degree assault, armed robbery, and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

The charges stem from a February 4, 2025 incident in Chevy Chase, where Thomas approached a man exiting his vehicle, pointed a gun, and demanded his car keys. The victim resisted, pushing the weapon away, at which point Thomas fired, striking him in the leg before fleeing. Investigators later used surveillance footage from the Friendship Heights Metro Station, where a suspect was seen entering without a shoe and removing the other, to identify Thomas and link her to the attempted carjacking.

I see stories about carjackings in Friendship Heights, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase on at least a monthly basis. No one has ever worried about being carjacked at the McLean Total Wine since it was built. I could walk around with a Moncler jacket, LV purse, waving around $1,000 in hundred dollar bills at 10 at night and nothing would happen. A few minutes more of a drive is worth my piece of mind.

That’s complete bullshit. I get you are afraid of your own shadow. Again…if things are that bad, wouldn’t you move to McLean?

Because I am a poor who can’t afford a $1.5 million tear down or a $3.5 million new build. I like the good schools that MoCo has to offer and the nice parks, but besides that VA has a lot more to offer. I choose to avail myself of the nicer retail, dining and entertainment options in Virginia but keep my low mortgage and low cost neighborhood in MD. Compromises.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The traffic on 495 going into and leaving Tyson's is insane. I live in DC and don't leave very often to MD or VA, but when I have to go to VA I have to pack a lunch!

Exactly, this hwy is always packed. And even large residential roads leading to Tysons are packed for hours each day. To get to Tysons from nearby Vienna and Mclean takes 15 min due to traffic and lights, why people who live there shop in their local strip malls. There is no way that it's this easy to drive to Tysons for funzies or essential errands in 20 min. More like 40 min. Especially if you need to get to the hwy from your residential area to start with.

It takes 15-20 minutes max to get from River Road and 495 or Old Georgetown and 495 to Tysons on the weekends as long as you leave before 1 or 2 pm. Ditto for Sunday and for weekdays after 7. No one usually leaves their house to go shopping at 5pm or 6pm on the weekdays in the middle of rush hour. It is a PIA to get anywhere around the DMV at that time.

And to the poster who said Olney was 11 miles and Tysons was 8 from River Road and 495. It literally takes 10 minutes to get from River and Seven Locks to Tysons right now and 26 to get from the same location to Olney. Yes, it is late at night with no traffic, but it would still be a lot faster after 7 pm on weekdays and on weekends as well. A lot of people don’t realize how close Tysons is to people in W school clusters, especially Churchhill and Whitman.

Most of us don't live directly adjacent to where River Road or Old Georgetown meet 495.

I am only 5 miles from River Road & 495 and that stretch alone will usually take 10-15 minutes. For weekdays, you have to be leaving after 8pm or 9pm. Sunday AM is reliable before like 11am, but Saturdays are unpredictable.

You do you...but most of us choose to live near where we plan to shop. If I loved Tysons so much, I would live in McLean.

As it is, I like Bethesda where I can shop at TJ's, Lidl, Giant and walk to 100 restaurants and other shops...and yes, literally go 50 feet into DC if I want Total Wine (but I don't care that much making a dedicated run to save a couple of $$$s).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the awful traffic, which can turn a 15-20 min drive from Bethesda to Tysons into 35-45, I can’t believe no one’s brought up the awful parking situation at Tyson’s. I hate it. Takes at least an extra 10-15 mins to get parked on the 3rd level if you’re lucky and into the mall.

Depends on when you go. I got there in 15 minutes from near North Bethesda MS tonight at 7. And Tysons is more than just both malls, which are far superior to Montgomery Mall and Friendship Heights. The Boro, Capital One Center, and the Mosaic further out have a lot of dining, retail and entertainment options. If you live in close in West MoCo it is not that long of a drive at all to any of these places if you’re not going in rush hour.